The American Oil Chemists' Society announces the newly created Thomas H. Smouse Memorial Fellowship to honor long-time AOCS member Thomas H. Smouse.

The fellowship is in the amount of $7000 and will recognize outstanding research by a graduate student pursuing a degree in a field of study consistent with interest areas of AOCS, namely fats, oils, proteins, surfactants, detergents, and related materials. Preference will be given to Ph.D. candidates displaying the highest standards of academic excellence with the reasonable expectation of entering into a field consistent with AOCS goals and interests.

For information, contact the AOCS Awards Program, P. O. Box 3489, Champaign, IL 61821; 217-359-2344; email: membership@aocs.org; fax: 217-351-8091. The deadline for completed applications is February 15, 1997.

Fellowships Announced

One hundred outstanding minority scholars have been awarded fellowships in the 1996 Ford Foundation fellowship programs. The programs, administered by the National Research Council, seek to increase the presence of underrepresented minority groups on the nation's college and university faculties. Awards are made to individuals of demonstrated ability to provide them with the opportunity to engage in studies leading to a Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree or to conduct advanced postdoctoral research.

The 1996 award pool includes 40 Blacks/African Americans, 30 Mexican Americans/Chicanos, 15 Puerto Ricans, 10 Native American Indians, and five Native Pacific Islanders. Of these awardees, 22 are working in the social sciences; 17 are conducting research in the physical sciences, math, or engineering; 33 study the humanities; 16 are working in the life sciences; and 12 are studying in the behavioral sciences. A complete list of the names of the fellows, their chosen institution, and their field of study can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www2.nas.edu/whatsnew/253a.html.

Multidisciplinary Conference on College Learning

Elon College announces a call for papers, panels, or roundtable discussions for a national multidisciplinary conference on college learning titled "Challenge and Response: Rethinking Key Issues in College Learning". This conference will be held 25­27 September 1997 at Elon College, in Elon College, North Carolina. Proposals are invited addressing innovations, experiences, and reflective critiques in the areas of interdisciplinary learning, active learning, and experiential learning and should be sent to Jeffrey C. Pugh, Program Committee Chair, Conference on Undergraduate Learning, 2168 Campus Box, Elon College, NC 27244-2020. The deadline is March 15, 1997.

Operation Chemistry Teacher Training Extended

Operation Chemistry is an NSF-supported, ACS-directed national training program in chemistry for teachers of grades 4 through 8. The program uses a locally based team approach to provide 72 contact hours of staff development for teachers across the country. During the 1997­98 academic year, 25 four-person teams will be solicited and selected. Each team should consist of a college chemistry faculty member, a high school chemistry teacher, a pre-high-school science teacher, and a member of the chemical industry. The Operation Chemistry 1997 summer workshop will include three full weeks of intensive training, 6­25 July, and will be held at the University of Wisconsin­Oshkosh.

The training will include sessions with hands-on activities for the teams to use with teachers, as well as special sessions on such topics as writing successful grant proposals, working with industry, working with adult learners, shopping for science, and collaborative grouping.

Materials used during the training include the twelve Operation Chemistry Workshop Books, as well as other chemical education resources. Workshop book modules include: The Language of Chemistry, Density, Acids and Bases, Energy, Polymers, Matter and Its Changes, Chemistry of Food, Chemical Reactions, Environmental Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Chemistry of the Space Shuttle, and Chemistry of Life.

Although the grant supporting Operation Chemistry teams provides some follow-up funding for the first year of implementation, each team must then secure its own funding for future years. Many of the existing teams either have already received such funding or have submitted proposals for Eisenhower grants in their states.

The following states have yet to participate in Operation Chemistry training and will be targeted for solicitation and participation during the 1977 summer workshop: Washington, South Dakota, Montana, Colorado, Arizona, Minnesota, Alaska, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Idaho, and Iowa.

Application deadline for 1997 summer training is April 11, 1997. For more information and to obtain a solicitation announcement and trainer application, contact Gary Dikeos, Project Manager, at 202/872-6125; email: gsd97@acs.org ; or mail to Operation Chemistry, Education Division, American Chemical Society, 1155 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036.

Coming in the March Issue

To help you with textbook selection for next academic year, the March issue of the Journal will include a full Book Buyer's Guide, with information about textbooks as supplied to us by publishers. This will be a complete guide, not just an update.

Also included in this issue will be information about the Spring 1997 American Chemical Society Meeting from 13­17 April in San Francisco. You will find a synopsis of the Division of Chemical Education program as well as information about the city in the Discovering column.

ACS Abstract Deadlines

The Fall 1997 American Chemical Society Meeting will be held 7­11 September 1997 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The deadline for submitting abstracts for Division of Chemical Education symposia is 1 May 1997. Abstracts are limited to 150 words, and 5 copies are needed. For information or to submit an abstract, contact either of the two CHED Meeting Chairs: M. Larry Peck, Chemistry Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3255; 409/845-2356; FAX: 409/845-4719; email: peck@chemvx.tamu.edu. Or, Thomas Wildeman, Department of Chemistry and Geochemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401; 303/273-3642; email: twildema@mines.edu; fax: 303/273-3629